• Atacama desert - Visit erupting geysers, crinkly salt plains and emerald lakes in the morning, and deep, mystical valleys by sunset in the driest desert on earth. Days are spent taking in Mars-like rock formations, floating on salt lakes and wandering through a spurting geyser field, followed by evenings gazing at some of the clearest night skies on the planet. Uncommon adventures abound, from sandboarding and mountain-bike rides to scenic hikes through red-rock canyons, or simply watching pink flamingos and other animal life.
• Elqui Valley/stargazing near Vicuna - Take advantage of some of the clearest skies in Chile and look at the universe through some of the world's most powerful telescopes.
• Santiago - Chile's rapidly evolving capital city boasts a vibrant eating out and nightlife scene, several fascinating museums, numerous cultural pursuits, and a selection of excellent places to stay.
• Valparaíso - One of South America's most enchanting cities, Valparaíso has a tangle of colourful houses, cobbled streets, and bohemian hang-outs spread across a series of undulating hills overlooking the Pacific.
• Wineries - Visit the numerous traditional bodegas around San Fernando and Santa Cruz, and sample some of Chile's finest vintages.
• Parque Nacional Torres del Paine - Hike the trails of Chile's most popular – and most spectacular – national park or climb the granite towers that give the park its name. Trekking through this Unesco Biosphere Reserve isn’t for the faint of heart – guides say the park sees all four seasons in a single day – but hiking the ‘W’ remains a rite of passage for generations of adventurous travellers.
• Patagonia - Trek, camp, kayak and horseback ride in this wildly beautiful landscape.
• Iquique - Catch a wave in this surf capital of the north coast.
• Chiloé Island - The largest island of the country. Sample one of Chile's most memorable dishes, admire the palafitos (traditional houses on stilts), or hike through the temperate rainforest on Chile's mist and legend shrouded island.
• Isla Robinson Crusoe - Although badly damaged by the 2010 tsunami, Isla Robinson Crusoe still has the end-of-the-world castaway feel that inspired Daniel Defoe's famous book.
• Easter Island - Gazing down into the giant crater of the extinct Rano Kau volcano and visiting the magical moai at Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku are once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
• Tierra del Fuego - Explore the deserted roads running through the steppe and dotted with guanacos and rheas, or fish in the pristine lakes and rivers of Chile's remotest region.
• Isla Navarino - Chile's southernmost inhabited territory (barring Antarctica), where the warmth of the locals contrasts with the harshness of the landscape.
• Laguna San Rafael National Park - includes the San Rafael Glacier. Take a boat trip to the ice-filled lagoon that is Chile's fastest shrinking glacier and get close to the ice in a Zodiac speedboat.
• Lauca National Park - the Lago Chungará, one of the world's highest lakes, overseen by the mighty Volcán Parinacota.
• Valle de la Luna - breath-taking desert landscape with impressive sand dunes and rock formations.

From the towering heights of the Andes to the beaches along its coastline, Chile offers an outdoor enthusiast everything from skiing and mountain biking to swimming in the blue waters of coastal towns. And if you are a wine aficionado, a trip to the vineyards around Valparaiso is definitely in order, as Chilean wine is renowned the world over.

RECOMMENDED ITINERARY

Allow at least three to four weeks if you wish to cover Chile from top to bottom; flying between some of the destinations will allow you to cover vast distances quickly. However, if you only have 2 weeks consider the following:

Spend a day exploring the museums and cafes of Santiago - visit the picturesque port of Valparaíso. From central Chile, you’ll have to decide whether to venture north – to San Pedro de Atacama and its mystical desertscapes, adventure sports and starry skies – or to the glaciers and trekking paradise of Torres del Paine and Patagonia in the south. In the second week, choose your own adventure: sample the wine in the Colchagua Valley, hike the Andes or go skiing at a resort like Portillo, seek out a surf break in Pichilemu, venture to the end of the earth in Tierra del Fuego, or tour the pisco distilleries outside La Serena.

REGIONS

NORTHERN CHILE

Traveling inland, the balmy coast of sunbathers and surfers shifts to cactus scrub plains and dry mountains streaked in reddish tones. Mines scar these ore-rich beasts whose primary reserve, copper, fuels much of the Chilean economic engine. There is more than to this area though - with its fertile valleys producing pisco grapes, papayas and avocados. The exceptionally clear skies mean this area is famous for its celestial observation opportunities – many international telescopic, optical and radio projects are based here. The driest desert in the world, the Atacama provide a refuge to flamingos on its salt lagoons, sculpted moonscapes and geysers ringed by snow-tipped volcanoes. The Norte Chico, or ‘region of 10,000 mines,’ is a semiarid transition zone from the Valle Central to the Atacama. Ancient cultures left enormous geoglyphs on the barren hillsides. Aymara peoples still farm the precordillera (the foothills of the Andes) - pasturing llamas and alpacas in the highlands. You can diverge from the desert scenery to explore the working mine of Chuquicamata or brave the frisky surf of arid coastal cities. Take care to not be affected by altitude sickness in the mountains!

CENTRAL CHILE

Chile’s heartland, covered with orchards and vineyards, is often skipped by travellers scrambling further afield. But if this region existed anywhere else in the world, it would be getting some serious attention. The harvests of the fertile central valley fill produce bins from Anchorage to Tokyo. Come for wine-tasting, unspoiled national parks and excellent skiing and surfing. With around 20 wineries open to the public, the Colchagua Valley is Chile’s biggest and best-established wine region. Its deep loamy soils, abundant water, dry air, bright sunshine and cool nights nurture some of the country’s best reds. At Chile’s unofficial surf capital, Pichilemu, wave warriors brave the icy waters year-round, while mere beach-going mortals fill its long black sands December through March. Pichilemu’s laid-back vibe and great waves make it easy to see why it’s so popular with visiting board-riders.

Download map waypoints for CHILE here: KML / GPX